Hafizabad, Gujranwala remain cut off

HAFIZABAD - Vehicular traffic between Hafizabad and Gujranwala remained disrupted as six hundred feet road was washed away by floodwater near Chak Chattha after a breach in Lower Chenab Canal near Sagar Headworks.

According to villagers, the breach was manoeuvred by the Irrigation Department to save Sagar Headworks but the Irrigation Department official refused to confirm the reports. However, the canal water has inundated hundreds of acres of land in nearby villages and along Gujranwala Road.

The villagers fall in the remit of Vanike Tarar Police have heaved a sigh of relief following discharge of high flood at Qadirabad from 9,09,000 on Sunday evening to 2,56,000 cusecs on Monday morning which has further gone down to 2,25,214 cusecs till Monday evening. At present, the flash flood was devastating the life and property of villagers located in Jalalpur Bhattian and Pindi Bhattian police station area.

According to official source, exact loss of human lives, livestock and property could not be ascertained yet. However, once the floodwater is receded, the government will be able to estimate the losses.

Meanwhile, in pursuance of the orders of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, Commissioner Gujranwala Shumail Ahmad Khawaja supervised the rescue operation during the past night. He said that 269 marooned people were evacuated from different villages by Pakistan Army and Rescue-1122 through helicopters and boats. He also went round worst affected villages Tahli Goraya, Khurram Churera and visited all nine relief centres. He directed the EDO Health to provide medical facilities to the affectees at the points where they were being shifted instead of relief centres. DCO Muhammad Usman informed him that 11,000 flood affectees had been evacuated by Pakistan Army and Rescue-1122 through 75 boats and helicopters. He also told that 45,000 packets of dry ration had also been distributed and three time cooked meal were being served to them.

Meanwhile, the villagers of Thatha Behlolpur and dwellers of Interchange Pindi Bhattian have protested against the indifferent attitude of the officials for not evacuating the marooned people of the village and providing them relief material. They burnt tyre and disrupted vehicular traffic for about two hours on Motorway at M-2. They also pelted stone on the police.

However, on the assurance of the army officers that the marooned people would be evacuated shortly through boats and relief material would be supplied to them, they dispersed peacefully.

Ali Ahmad and his near relative Muhammad Mansha of Chak Bhatti were drowned in the flood water today. There dead bodies could not be recovered.